Sustainability Becoming a Priority for Australian Manufacturers

As I mentioned in my previous posting, I was in Australia last week speaking at the apics 2008 International Conference.  The theme of the conference was sustainable manufacturing and I was very impressed with the event.  The conference organizers created a very solid agenda that included many strong speakers, exhibitors and company tours. The agenda topics were very timely and the presentations focused on practical information that could benefit companies at all stages in their sustainability “journey.”

One of the topics covered at the conference was Australia’s National Greenhouse Energy Reporting (NGER) Act, which commences next month.  This wide-reaching regulation will require companies to track and report on their carbon emissions and work toward government-established standards.  Eventually, NGER will include a carbon trading scheme.  While only about 1,000 of the largest emitters will be impacted initially, the scope will broaden over the next few years.  Because most of the companies attending the conference were manufacturers, there was a great deal of interest in the potential impact of NGER.

The conference took place on the Gold Coast of Australia, just south of Brisbane.  The location of the conference created an opportunity for attendees to tour the Carlton Brewhouse.  Carlton is part of the Foster’s Group and brews Carlton Draught. Carlton has a state-of-the-art facility and touts its brewery as the most water efficient in the world.  In case you didn’t know, water consumption is the most significant environmental issue facing the beverage industry. Among other things, Carlton uses recycled water captured and treated on site for all processes except those where the water actually touches the product.  Carlton’s water purification process results in recycled water that is treated to a standard purer than reticulated drinking water. 

As always, the trip was a good learning experience and a lot of fun. In case you’re interested, here’s a link to my presentation.

Jeff

Australia Redux

I’m back in Australia this week speaking at the apics 2008 International Conference.  apics is a professional organization focused on manufacturing supply chain and procurement.  The theme of this year’s conference is sustainable manufacturing. I was invited to speak as a result of some contacts I made during my visit to Australia last August.  That trip centered on attending The Green CIO Conference, sponsored by CIO Magazine Australia.

I’ve written a fair amount about supply chain sustainability over the last few months.  There is an incredible amount of activity taking place in this area.  I’m excited about the opportunity to interact with a group of supply chain professionals who are thinking about sustainability. I’m sure it will be a great learning experience.  I’ll report back on the conference next week. 

Jeff